ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · hand · fine · cold · lash · perch · cue · band

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cold — not warm
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. band — a ring
  10. hand — help
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wind — moving air
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fine — all right
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. band — a music group
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com